Howe Nice to See You
by kittykat2892
Summary: This is a small glimpse into Alistair's relationship with my Human Noble female. He finds out, upon her confrontation with Howe, that there is more to her than meets the eye, that she's purposefully hidden away. Alistair x F!Cousland


_A/N: This is another simple Dragon Age: Origins one-shot. I wasn't planning on putting anything else up of my personal fictions, but a very kind review on my other Origins fiction, 'Dangerous Pleasantries,' by Arrocalot had me change my mind. The Warden this fiction surrounds is my Human Noble female, Seramela AKA Sera. It takes place mainly after Arl Howe's demise, and after Alistair finds out there is more to the love of his life than he originally thought. I know there could be more detail put into this, and I may do that one day, but for now, it stays as it is._

**Howe Nice to See You**

_by kittykat2892_

Seramela's breaths came in gasping pants, her sword heavy in hand, her shield trying to throw her off-balance. She would not stop, she would not rest. She could care even less about rescuing Anora at the moment. The name of the man who'd betrayed her family continued ringing in her ears...

Howe. Arl Howe. He was here, in the castle. He was Anora's jailor. What luck, that the Maker would put that traitorous snake in the way of her righteous sword. There was nothing she could think of that would give her anything more than the satisfaction of vengeance would.

"Sera, slow down!"

The blonde heard her love's voice, but even he would not keep her from her revenge. Arl Howe would pay for the death of her family today, or she would die trying.

She threw her body weight at the door in her way, the cracking sound it made as it hit the stone wall telling just how strong the usually ditsy woman was when she was focused. The man in the room looked up in slight surprise, before a snarl found its way to his lips.

"Ah, I knew that my past would come to haunt me one day. And of course it would be a mangy mongrel bitch, such as yourself."

Seramela found herself shaking in anger.

"What is he talking about, Sera..." Alistair murmered from behind the blonde. He rested his hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away as she hefted up her shield.

"Arl Howe, you will pay for the pain you have caused me! I will reclaim my estate, and I will give my parents, my aunt, and my nephew vengeance!"

Howe simply laughed, opening his arms as if inviting the woman to slay him on the spot.

"Then do so, mongrel. Here I am."

Seramela snarled in rage, lunging towards the smirking man quicker than he expected. He barely had time to block, and the battle ensued.

_Later at camp_

Alistair saw Seramela collapse next to the fire, her face unusually serious. Even the companions that did not travel with them to Arl Howe's estate knew good and well to leave her be. The only one to approach her other than her mabari was Sten. The Qunari said not a word, but simply handed the warrior something Alistair couldn't see. Whatever it was, it got a small smile from his love, and a nod from Sten as the giant retreated.

The bastard prince felt a small stirring of jealousy at the thought of Sten being able to approach the love of his life while he could not. He was curious, and he was worried. Arl Howe and Seramela had a history, and a violent one it seemed. Her accusations of Howe murdering her family did not sit well with Alistair.

He found himself sitting next to the blonde before he knew what he was doing. She looked up, eyes hard. Upon seeing who it was that had invaded her privacy, she backed down, instead turning her angry gaze to the fire.

"Sera."

"You want to know about today."

"That... would be nice... You try so hard to make sure we're all happy and comfortable. Now it's my turn to do the same for you."

Seramela's lip twitched, as if in a smile. "I know I probably frightened you today. The woman you saw... She's been bottled up, waiting for that exact moment."

"Waiting for when you would confront Howe specifically?"

"Yes. That woman was the one who left her parents to die at Arl Howe's hands. That woman was the one who kept fighting even after seeing her aunt and nephew slaughtered in cold blood in the room across from hers... That woman was the one who vowed vengeance on Arl Howe that day. She was the one who struggled against Duncan so much, he had to knock her out for half the trip to Ostagar..."

Alistair stayed silent, eyes widening with every sentence she spoke. Her ditsy personality was just an act, it seemed. A disguise for the hurt woman hidden deep underneath.

"I'm sorry, Sera. I should have..."

"Should have what? Known that I was hiding something? No. I hid it too well. You weren't meant to see, Alistair. No one was." Seramela raised her hand to her forehead, sighing as she closed her eyes. "That is why I've been trying to coerce you into becoming King. I despise Arl Howe, and I will not have another family go through what I did without justice served."

"You want me to become King... For vengeance?"

Her eyes flared in anger at that. "Never! For protection! If you care for these people, you would become King to protect them! You've seen Anora! Like father, like daughter, I'm sure! She's ruthless, power-hungry, and power-driven. She doesn't care for her people. Not like she should."

Alistair frowned. He did not want to become King. It was the one thing he'd feared his whole life, and here was his soulmate trying to convince him otherwise.

"Sera... I..."

The woman merely sighed, shaking her head as she petted Elros. He whined quietly, sensing his mistress' distress.

"Don't worry about it, Alistair. I know I shouldn't force you into something you've despised your whole life... I won't do that to you unless absolutely necessary..." With that said, the woman got to her feet and retreated to her tent for the night. Elros followed on her heels, laying next to the tent opening and resting his head on his large paws.

Alistair sighed, running his hand through his hair. This was a mess. A big, fat mess. But it seemed there was more to his Sera than he originally thought, and he found that exciting despite the miserable circumstances he found out by.

After the companions ate, the bastard prince hesitantly ducked into Seramela's tent with a small bowl of Leliana's stew. Alistair knew Seramela would never pass up Leliana's cooking. It seemed she had been dozing, because sure enough, the smell of the stew woke her up.

"For me?"

Alistair nodded, handing her the bowl gingerly. The Cousland noble stared into the depths of the stew before patting the open space in the bedroll beside her. Alistair gladly took the invitation.

Alistair helped Seramela to forget that night. Come morning, they would work through the trials they had been presented, but for that night, there was nothing more than each other.


End file.
